A new UC Berkeley Labor Center study defines low-wage workers as those earning less than two-thirds of the median full-time wage in California.

In 2017, this means workers making less than $14.35 per hour are considered low-wage workers. California’s minimum wage is $11 an hour for employers of 26 workers or more, and $10.50 for smaller employers. About 32 percent of California workers earned less than $14.35 an hour in 2017, which is about 4.9 million workers.

In 2019, the wage floor will rise to $12 an hour for larger employers and $11 for smaller employers. By 2022, it will grow to $15 an hour for larger employers and for smaller employers by 2023.

The study limited the analysis to California workers, ages 18-64, who were not self-employed.

Stagnant wages

Low-wage workers have not seen their earnings increase in California (after adjusting for inflation) while high-wage workers have seen their earnings rise sharply.

Kurt Snibbe is a visual journalist for Southern California News Group. Snibbe has won several medals in international graphics competitions and was a staff cartoonist for ESPN.com. Snibbe began with The Orange County Register in 1997, left in 2008 and returned in 2013.

Margot Roosevelt covers economic news. She has been a staff reporter at The Orange County Register since 2012. Before that, she was on staff at the Los Angeles Times, covering environmental news. Earlier jobs: Congressional reporter for the Washington Post; foreign and national correspondent for Time Magazine.